Following fresh off the news that Showtime’s TV series adaptation of the “Halo” video game series has resumed production, news has arrived that the key role of the blue holographic A.I. character Cortana has been recast.
IGN reports that Jen Taylor, who has lent her voice to the character in every main “Halo” game to date, will reprise the role for the TV series. She replaces actress “Ronin” and “Designated Survivor” actress Natascha McElhone who would have played both Cortana and her human creator Dr. Catherine Halsey.
The site now says due to scheduling difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, McElhone can no longer complete her work as Cortana but will continue in the role of Halsey which is a more straightforward scientist role.
It’s not clear how the series will portray Cortana yet so it’s not clear if Taylor will perform motion capture as well as her voice work. Taylor has played the role across five video games and the two live-action short film tie-ins as well as Microsoft’s virtual assistant on Windows devices.
The series portrays the epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. It is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2021.
